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Autobiographical Essay 1 Autobiographical Essay Tricia M. Cook Professor Damaris Wight EDUC 120 Foundations of Education Fall 2020
Autobiographical Essay 1 Autobiographical Essay Tricia M. Cook Professor Damaris Wight EDUC 120 Foundations of Education Fall 2020
Autobiographical Essay
Tricia M. Cook
Fall 2020
Introduction
I have always admired teachers and the hard work they do to educate the future generation. It
has taken me some time to get to the stage in my life where I know what I want to be when I
grow up. My purpose is to become an educator, specifically teaching children in the lower grade
levels. I have spent time volunteering in classrooms, and I have worked in elementary schools.
My teachers have pushed me to excel and I have great goals set in place to become the teacher
Educational Background
I attended elementary school, first grade through sixth grade at Greenwood Elementary in La
Grande, Oregon. I continued to La Grande Middle School for seventh grade. For eighth and ninth
grades, I attended South Junior High in Boise, Idaho. My secondary education continued at
Borah High School in Boise, Idaho. I attended Boise State University in Boise, Idaho for a
couple of semesters. My education was then put on hold for several years. I am now attending
In elementary school, I attended the Talented and Gifted program. This was taught once per
week. I was involved in this during my fourth and sixth grade years. During sixth grade, I was
also part of a peer mentor program, known as “Book Buddies.” Sixth grade students would
During my senior year at Borah High School, I was part of the elementary teacher aide
program where I worked with a first-grade teacher for two class periods each day. I learned a lot
encouraged a love of reading by letting me choose which books I read. My high school Western
Civilization teacher taught me that history could be interesting, fun, and scandalous. She held her
class to a high standard. I learned how to take proper notes from her. These teachers, and others
believed that I could do the work and encouraged me to do my best. They made learning fun
while also challenging. It makes a big difference when a teacher can relate to a student and I will
strive to be like the teachers who have left an impression on me many years later.
My work history includes restaurants, retail, office, and tourism jobs. My most recent job
pertains the most to my career as a future educator. I am a title one tutor at an elementary school
in the Boise School District. I help small groups of students in kindergarten through sixth grade
with reading, writing, and critical thinking. Prior to this, I worked as a playground supervisor. I
have learned many techniques for conflict resolution. I am fair with the students and explain why
give tours at Mount Vernon, a lot of it was reciting facts. We had a lot of students come through.
Most of the time they were in a hurry. I can only hope they absorbed some of the information.
The great moments came from the smaller tour group moments or times I was working on the
farm or at the tomb. Connecting with a visitor to address their questions was very fulfilling.
Mount Vernon doesn’t hide the fact that George Washington owned slaves. This can cause some
controversy among visitors. I remember one time a visitor asked me about this. Fortunately, the
visitor was not aggressive. I was able to have a frank discussion with him about life in the
eighteenth century. It was not only a teaching experience, but a learning experience as well.
In my current job, I work with children from a lot of different backgrounds, racial groups,
religions, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. I had one student who was insistent on
making my job difficult. I didn’t take it personally. I took a moment to get to know him as a
person and connect with him on mutual interests. Another student has a physical disability and
requires a lot of attention. He is a very happy, friendly, and likeable child. He likes to walk
around with me. The other students accept him and like to play with him. I will often talk to him
for a few minutes, then bring him to a friend to play with. This way he gets that personal
attention and the opportunity to play with friends. I think it’s mutually beneficial for him to play
with his peers. He learns how to adapt, and they learn compassion.
preschool and lower grades, I was in the classroom quite a bit. I made photocopies, laminations,
and displays. I also worked with small groups with math, reading, and writing. I have been a
member of the PTA serving as president, treasurer, secretary, and in various committees. For five
years, I was an assistant den leader for Cub Scouts. I worked with first through fifth grade scouts.
In Cub Scouts, I helped kids learn real life skills. By being in the classroom through different
grades, I have picked up on their lessons and different teaching styles. I have observed different
ways to correct unwanted behavior and praise exceptional behavior. I am comfortable working
with small groups. All these experiences have helped me learn how to teach and how to relate to
children.
I was never very athletic. Sports and running never came easy for me. When I was in
elementary school, we had gym class or physical education every day. I dreaded going to gym. I
was always one of the last picked for sports teams. I was never able to run the mile in an
acceptable amount of time. It was embarrassing for those of us non-athletes. I believe gym class
would have been a good time to teach virtue. If the gym teacher picked teams for everyone, there
would be more balance. One team would not have an excess of good players. By making great
athletes play on a team with less athletic students, everyone would benefit. Good athletes would
work in capacities of coaches and help their peers to become better. Knowing how to make a
good team is not only important in sports, it is important in all areas of life. Doing what is good
In high school, I had a biology teacher who got annoyed easily. He taught some valuable
lessons from single celled organisms to reproduction. One lesson that stands out is a lesson we
did on germs and bacteria. We had to take an agar covered petri dish and either swab a surface
with a cotton swab or wipe something directly on to the dish such as a pencil. After the dishes
had time to sit and grow the bacteria, we were going to evaluate the results. A few students were
talking a lot and being disruptive. The teacher decided to take away everyone’s petri dishes
before we could look at them. The whole class was punished for the poor decisions of a few.
Utilitarianism would dictate this to be wrong. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of a
few. Instead of taking away our learning experience, he should have called the few disruptors
I think I should be a teacher in an elementary school. Being around children and helping them
reach their potential gives me great joy and purpose. Teaching is a rewarding career. My
patience is a strong point. I can sit with a student and help them through their thought process
until they are able to understand. My goal is to teach them how to learn. I have empathy for
others. Kids come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. I am able to look beyond
biases to help the student with compassion. I am always looking for ways to help and ways to
A trait that I have that may be better suited for other occupations would be that I can be a bit
sensitive. It doesn’t hurt my feelings if a student tells me, “I don’t like you,” but if a parent were
to say that to me, it might make me feel bad. It usually isn’t personal, but rather the situation. I
Professional Goals
interested in teaching lower elementary school from kindergarten to second grade. I would also
like to learn more about teaching English as a second language and different special education
programs available. Learning another language is a good long-term goal. I know some Spanish.
My goal is to take a refresher course and a conversation course in order to speak and understand
more Spanish. This will help with students who are learning English and to converse with
A short-term goal I have is to finish my first year at the College of Western Idaho. Another
mathematics is another short-term goal. This is a prerequisite for mathematics for elementary
teachers. My last short-term goal is to take a child psychology class. This is important because I
think it will help me relate better with young children, especially those from an unstable
background.
Conclusion
These are some of the many reasons why I want to become an educator. My life experiences
make me an understanding, patient, and compassionate person who wants to help children
succeed. I will strive to become a great educator like the teachers who pushed me to do my best
and the teachers I work with today who never give up on their students. My short- and long-term